


Clandestine

by Fabrisse



Series: Rebuilding the Table [7]
Category: Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015)
Genre: Gen, Post V-Day, Practicalities
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-01
Updated: 2016-03-01
Packaged: 2018-05-24 05:44:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,699
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6143371
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fabrisse/pseuds/Fabrisse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A meeting is called without Merlin's knowledge.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Clandestine

**Author's Note:**

> The Prompt from Dressing Room 3:  
>  _While Kingsman is slowly reforming after V-day, the new Arthur and several of the older knights become a little concerned that, if it ever came down to a choice between Merlin and Kingsman, the new Lancelot and Galahad would clearly not be choosing the agency. They trust Merlin, they're too new and took the lesson of Arthur's betrayal too seriously to trust much of anyone else (Percival possibly aside), and the few times minor issues have come up they've very clearly backed Merlin first and be damned to anyone else. It's a little worrying. Especially since it's equally clear that if it were a choice between the agency and the welfare of their newest knights, Merlin might not make the choice the agency expects of him either, and that's rather more concerning when Merlin is a scary bastard who has the dirt on everyone and can singlehandedly organise saving the world if he's pushed._
> 
> _You can take this in as serious or as funny a direction as you like, I just want some post-V-day concern on the part of Kingsman that Merlin, Eggsy and Roxy are now very clearly a force unto themselves and look very determined to stay that way._

It was rare for Tristan to get a call on his cellphone, especially in this post-Valentine world. The entire industry – where it hadn't been nationalized – was reforming so that something like V-Day couldn't happen again. It was good news for net neutrality, surprisingly, but bad news for most of the providers.

Caller ID said it was Ywain, though it took Tristan a minute to remember his real name instead of code name. That was a downside to secret spy agencies most people never thought about.

"Mark here," he answered.

"Ah, _Mark,_ so happy to get in touch with you finally. I was wondering if there'd been an exploding head issue."

Mark glanced at his phone, happy that the man on the other end couldn't see him. "Reginald, that remark was beneath you." Privately, he thought Ywain was the most likely agent to have followed Arthur over the edge into the madness of Valentine's master plan.

"Several of us are meeting on what should be Saturday morning approximately 1 a.m. your time. For most of the rest of us, it's a civilized hour, but…"

"But I live in Singapore. Why isn't this a table call?"

There was a long pause before Ywain answered. "There are some worries about how loyalties lie in London. Percival won't be part of the meeting. You will be sent information on how to encrypt your participation, and, if at all possible, please make certain it's on a computer Merlin's never touched."

"Are you planning a coup?"

"No." Ywain was emphatic. "But the knights need to talk."

"Is anyone else being excluded? Or did Percival say 'no?'"

"Percival wasn't asked. No one else is being excluded."

"Except Merlin."

"Yes, well, Beaumains agreed to participate only if Vivienne was on the call, too, representing the witches. I believe we can accept her word not to reveal either the fact of the meeting or the content of the discussion."

Tristan thought long and hard. He appreciated Ywain's patience in not pressing him for an answer. "I'll be on the call. I won't reveal its existence beforehand. If I think the discussion needs to be shared with Merlin or the rest of Kingsman afterward, I will let the rest of you know."

"Caradoc had a similar caveat. You'll receive a text with details within an hour. Thank you, Tristan."

"Ywain." He ended the call and decided it was a good afternoon to hit the long bar at the Raffles.

***   
"Before we begin," Ywain said.

Caradoc interrupted. "No. There is a point I wish to clarify before I participate even minimally in this discussion. Why was Percival excluded?"

Tristan was relieved he didn't have to ask the question.

"The new Lancelot is his niece. She and this…" Ywain glanced at a sheet of paper and said, "Eggsy are the reason for this meeting."

There was a long pause. Since they weren't meeting via the glasses, some of the eye contact which would have reassured them was missing.

It was Tristan who finally said, "Fair enough. Please go ahead, Ywain."

"Is everyone familiar with the sequence of events both before and after the two 'rage waves?'" 

Caradoc said, "Assume we aren't. Tell us the story."

Tristan smiled quietly to himself. Caradoc was their top diplomat, and moments like this let him understand why.

Erec said, "Without notifying any of the active knights, Merlin took two trainees to Valentine's stronghold. He left messages with the staff to lock every non-Kingsman cellphone in a lead lined room which saved most of the lives of those who work for us. He didn't inform the knights."

Dinadan said, "Did you check your messages? I had one from Merlin saying to go to my panic room and await his signal. I did. Surely I wasn't the only one."

Tristan said, "I got the message, but thought he sounded off his rocker, sad to say. Like Galahad I killed civilians, three in my case during the first brief wave. I was able to make it to my apartment's panic room by the time the second wave hit."

Sagramore nodded. "My story is similar."

Caradoc said, "I took Merlin's advice."

Ywain said, "Yes, Erec and I did both have messages, unfortunately, neither of us was in a place to receive them."

Beaumains spoke for the first time. "It seems he did what he could in a short window. I'd also like to point out that Merlin did have an active agent with him. Lancelot was officially at the table, per Arthur."

"And Arthur was dead by the end of the day, murdered by another recruit," Ywain said.

Caradoc said, "Self-defense, I thought. Arthur poisoned him. Eggsy switched glasses."

"He made statements which led Arthur to activate the poison," Erec said.

"We've all seen the footage," Dinadan said. "At least, we've all had the opportunity to see it. My interpretation jibes with Caradoc's, but I can see how other conclusions could be drawn."

Ywain said, "Interpretations aren't important. We are without an Arthur. Merlin is holding the seat at the moment, and this Merlin has always been volatile."

Tristan said, "Are you trying to imply he will not call the requisite meeting? That he will hold onto both roles?"

"I'm saying that I don't know. Merlin flew off to take out Valentine with one brand new agent, one failed recruit, and some equipment dating from the 1980s. This doesn't argue for his stability. I know his report to the table stated this was due to a tight time constraint, but if we get down to the short strokes, will he protect his protégés or Kingsman?"

Sagramore said, "His protégés _are_ Kingsmen. Have you watched any of the footage from their incursion to the mountain?"

"Yes," Ywain said. "This Eggsy looked like his mentor who was, may I remind you, Merlin's mentor as well. Galahad and Percival often worked together, too. Is Percival more likely to support his niece or the organization?"

"What I don't think you're hearing, Ywain, is that for some of us those aren't two different things," Caradoc said. "Merlin has already distributed a proposed timeline for a full meeting of the table."

"It's three months away," Erec said with some force. "At a minimum, three months and he implied in his cover letter that it could take up to a year? He's a technician, a glorified office manager, neither a gentleman nor someone fit for the table."

Beaumains filled the ensuing silence. "Merlin trained you, Erec," he said quietly, "as he did me as he did Tristan. You know that Merlin is far more than a technician."

Ywain said, "That's the problem. Most of the support staff will follow Merlin rather than the knights at the moment. Merlin himself has put his trust in whom? Percival, perhaps. The new Lancelot, certainly. And a boy who couldn't even follow the simple order to shoot his dog."

Tristan said, "I know I didn't find that order a simple one to follow. And this young gentleman demonstrated his abilities amply in the fight for Valentine's bunker."

Ywain's words were clipped. "The young thug – really, Tristan, he can't even speak properly – allowed two waves of murder loose upon the world. Had Merlin trusted the table as he ought to have, no one but those whom Valentine kidnapped would ever have known of his scheme."

Caradoc said, "I've heard everything I need to. Merlin has my confidence. As for your characterization of Eggsy, allow me to say that in the two weeks I've been working with him, he's struck me as extremely intelligent and willing to learn. His accent can be corrected with practice," Caradoc's chuckle came through, "though he does a passable approximation of Galahad's inflections. A poor mind couldn't be fixed. Gentlemen, I look forward to seeing you when we're finally called upon to vote for Arthur." His feed went black.

Beaumains said, "I haven't met either of the new agents, but I did review all of the mission footage right after you called this meeting. I think Merlin operated the only way he could. If Arthur was compromised, who else among us might have been? Frankly, I think we should be grateful he bothered to send us messages. I would have seen whose head exploded, myself." 

Erec said, "We know Vivienne is with you. We trust she won't reveal anything to Merlin about this."

Vivienne said, "I swore that I wouldn't, and I won't. But I'll tell you this, I regret my promise. Good night, gentlemen."

Sagramore said, "Let it lie, Ywain. Merlin hasn't even suggested this Eggsy for the table, and if he does, I'm certain he'll provide more information." His screen went dark, too.

"If Merlin doesn't call the meeting within three months, contact me again," Dinadan said. "Otherwise, I agree with the others. Good evening, all."

Ywain said, "Tristan, you're the only one left."

"It's late here. It makes me slow. I'm leaning toward Dinadan on this. Considering the holes we're patching at the moment, we don't have time to elect a new Arthur. But things are already beginning to quiet. Let Merlin have another month or two. God knows we're still busy. If he hasn't called the meeting – not had it, called it – then round us up again. And include Percival, damn it." He took a breath. "My apologies. For right now, I'm leaving this discussion. You two discuss what you like."

Tristan poured himself a small gin and lime and went out to his balcony. The city was still moving, of course. He thought long and hard before going back in and opening up an email. He'd given his word not to talk to Merlin or the new Lancelot without notifying the rest of the knights. There was no need for a stricture not to mention anything to this Eggsy because, other than Caradoc, no one at the table knew how to get in touch with him. It was probably an oversight on Ywain's part that Percival hadn't been included in the information ban.

Ten minutes after he sent it, his computer pinged. 

_Yours was the fourth email I received. What took you so long?_   
_Percival_

Tristan chuckled and went to bed.

**Author's Note:**

> There may be another chapter to this one. I'm not entirely certain.


End file.
